Who doesn’t love to start the day by dropping a coffee pod into their Keurig? I mean, the smell alone is intoxicating. However, those pods can become quite expensive, depending on how much coffee you drink.
While waiting for your delicious piping hot coffee, you may have wondered, can you use your own coffee in a Keurig?
In this article, you’ll learn that not only is it possible but also how to do it the right way. We also talk about the best grind and reusable K-cups.
Here are some stats for you. Seventy-five million pods are used every day. Twenty billion pods are sent to landfills. That’s a lot of waste!
The nice thing about using packaged coffee pods is that you can try many different types of coffee. This makes pods very convenient, but also very wasteful.
Using pods works well for people in your household who may not like the same coffee as you. If you use your own coffee grounds, you can adjust the amount of grounds you use and experiment by combining different blends yourself.
Since you have the ability to make your own blends, you can also control the strength and flavor of your coffee with ease.
Can You Use Your Own Coffee Grounds In A Keurig?
Yes, you can use your own coffee grounds provided you have a reusable K-Cup filter.
That’s the beauty of the whole process for coffee lovers. Creating your own coffee from bean to brew is the ultimate satisfaction.
Yes, you can use your own coffee in a Keurig, but you have to make sure you get the grind right. Sadly, none of this is possible without using reusable K-Cups. So, what’s the benefit of using your own coffee grounds?
Upside
There are five great reasons to use your own grounds:
- You can adjust the amount of grounds you use to get the coffee strength you want.
- You can experiment with different blends that you make yourself.
- With reusable K-Cups, you’re helping the environment.
- You can save money by using your own coffee grounds.
- Reusable K-cups are inexpensive and can last a long time.
Downside
What could really be the downside of using your own coffee grounds?
The worst thing that can happen is that when you want a second cup of coffee, you have to dump out the coffee grounds, rinse out the cup, and refill it. This is why you may want to buy a pack of at least four.
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Before we talk about specific coffee grinds you can use, let’s talk about K-cups.
What Are K-Cups?
K-Cups are a patented form of coffee pods that were originally created by the Green Mountain Coffee Company.
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Most people don’t use the term “K-cups.” They say “pods.” So those terms are interchangeable. The packages of individual, small plastic coffee cups with a foil seal on top are really K-Cups.
When you place the K-cup in your Keurig and close the lid, the Keurig machine pokes a hole in the top and bottom. This allows pressurized water to flow through the pod and create a fresh cup of coffee.
Can You Reuse Keurig K-Cups?
Technically, yes, you can reuse K-Cups that are meant for single use. However, the process can be very messy, and if not done properly, you may damage your Keurig brewer.
At the very least, most people find that reusing disposable K-Cups results in having to clean their brewers more frequently.
Many people find K-cups wasteful because they are only meant to be used once. You should not try to reuse a single-use K-cup. It could damage your Keurig machine.
Can You Recycle Keurig K-Cups?
Yes, Keurig K-Cups can be recycled. If you’d like to learn how to recycle your K-Cups, please check out this post.
K-Cups are designed to be thrown away after a single-use. If you remove the foil from the top, you can put the filter and coffee grounds inside in the compost. Check with your local municipality for information on recycling the plastic and foil parts.
How to Use Reusable K-Cups
Reusable K-Cups can hold up to 17 grams of coffee. Depending on the Keurig model, this reusable K-Cup can brew 6-16 ounces of coffee.
- Remove the gray filter holder from the bottom of the K-cup
- Turn the gray lid on the top counterclockwise
- Remove the filter basket inside
- Fill the basket with ground coffee. (K-cups hold about 2 tablespoons)
- Place the lid back on top
- Put the basket back in the holder
- Turn it clockwise to lock it in place
- Insert it into your Keurig. Note: The white arrow should be pointing away from you.
- Close the Keurig and set the desired brew cycle.
If you would like to see this process in action, take a moment to watch the video below.
Do not compress the coffee grounds or overfill the chamber. This can affect performance. Only fill the chamber up to the maximum indicated inside.
Reusable K-cups are inexpensive. You can pick them up in packs of 4, 6, and 12. The price typically ranges from $6.99 to $13.99 on Amazon.
Keurig 2.0
The instructions for a reusable K-Cup for a Keurig 2.0 are a little different. If you have a Keurig 2.0, leave the gray adapter on the bottom of the K-cup. Do not remove it.
Best Ground Coffee for Reusable K-Cups
Using the right grind in your coffee maker can make the difference between a great cup of coffee and a coffee-flavored mug of hot water. It all depends on the extraction rate, flow rate, and contact time of your coffee maker.
Extraction Rate: The larger the surface area, the higher the extraction rate.
Flow Rate: This is the speed at which the water flows through your coffee grounds. If you use a finer grind, the flow rate may decrease, increasing the contact time. This can result in a bitter tasting cup of coffee.
Contact Time: This is the amount of time the water spends in the coffee grounds. The higher the contact time, the more coarse your grounds should be.
With Keurig, the contact time with the coffee grounds is pretty low. So you should use a medium grind, similar to table salt.
Also, don’t forget that a great cup of coffee starts with the right kind of water. Check out our article on the Best Water for Keurig Machines for more information.
Final Thoughts
Using your own coffee in your Keurig gives you a lot more freedom to experiment with different coffee blends and strengths. Not to mention, it can save you a ton of money.
Best of all, you can continue to enjoy your own personal favorite coffee brands, even if they don’t offer their own K-Cups.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
Have you ever tried using your own coffee grounds in your Keurig?
Do you have a personal favorite reusable K-Cup filter or blend of coffee?
If so, we’d love to hear about your experience. Please take a moment to drop us a comment and share your story below.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and as always, we hope you enjoy Another Cuppa Joe.